(Clearwisdom.net) On February 25, 2008, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Ministry of Public Security launched operation "F0801" in order to to escalate the persecution of Falun Gong in the name of safeguarding the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the operation, at least 86 practitioners were illegally arrested in Liaoning Province, and 16 of them were from Huludao City. All 16 Huludao practitioners were sentenced to forced labor or prison terms following their arrests. Two practitioners were tortured to death, and the majority of the other practitioners are still incarcerated. Wang Lijun, former director of the Jinzhou City Police Department, masterminded and orchestrated the operation of arresting the Falun Gong practitioners in three western Liaoning Province cities – Huludao, Jinzhou, and Chaoyang.

1. Mr. Fan Dezhen, 33, was arrested on February 25, 2008. Two months later, on April 20, he was beaten to death in the Suizhong County Detention Center. His face was contorted with agony, his teeth were clenched, and his abdomen was covered by bruises. The officers cremated his body. He left behind a wife, whom he had married only 18 months prior, and a nine-month-old baby. His parents were in deep sorrow.

Mr. Fan Dezhen

Mr. Fan had twice been sentenced to forced labor. In 2001, he went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was detained in the Huludao Forced Labor Camp for three years. In order to force him to give up his faith, several guards shocked him simultaneously with electric batons, and they beat him cruelly, causing injuries and swelling to his whole body. His face also became deformed. In October 2002, he went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Guards directed prisoners to cuff his wrists and shackle his ankles onto a metal bed frame for the entire day, and they brutally force-fed him. In one instance, the tube was inserted into his lung, and he almost choked to death. Guards released him once he was on the verge of death. On April 1, 2004, Mr. Fan was arrested and detained in the Huludao Detention Center, and he was again cruelly beaten, force-fed, and released only when his life was in danger. On September 17, 2005, Mr. Fan was handcuffed and arrested at work by plainclothes police officers. He was taken to the Huludao Forced Labor Camp to serve a second forced labor term, where he was again tortured many times.

Torture re-enactment: Force-feeding

2. Ms. Yang Xue, Mr. Fan's wife, was also arrested on February 25, 2008. She was sentenced to four years in prison, with two months of her term set to be served outside of prison, as her child was less than one year old.

3. Mr. Huang Lizhong, 48, from the Lianshan District, was a private business owner. He was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was subjected to many forms of torture in Panjin Prison, and he eventually died on October 25, 2009 as a result of the torture.

Mr. Huang Lizhong

When Mr. Huang's wife visited him on October 20, 2009, he was emaciated, did not have any strength to speak, and was trembling. This once healthy man now looked frail and old. During the visit, Mr Huang told his wife, "They almost shocked me to death with electric batons." The incident he spoke of occurred on April 20. His family finally understood why the prison had been denying their visitation requests: to hide the fact that Mr. Huang was being tortured so severely. Five days after the visit, however, around 9:30 p.m. on October 25, the prison called Mr. Huang's son to inform him that his father had died.

Between his arrest on February 25 and his death from torture on October 25, 2009, Mr. Huang Lizhong had become emaciated and his body was severely bruised.

Mr. Huang had been repeatedly harassed, monitored, detained, and brainwashed; his home phone was also tapped. He was sentenced to forced labor three times, imprisoned once, and endured torture during each detention. Every time Mr. Huang was held in a forced labor camp, he was not released until he had been tortured nearly to death.

4. Mr. Zhao Liang, from Gangtun Town, is a farmer. He was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to ten years in prison. He is currently held in Jinzhou Prison.

Mr. Zhao has been sentenced to forced labor three times. On June 23, 2000, Mr. Zhao and his brother were arrested and sentenced to one year of forced labor. They were later given two- to five-month extensions. Mr. Zhao was subjected to many different forms of torture, such as being repeatedly slapped across the face, shocked by electric batons, and having his fingers gouged by needles, among others. On April 8, 2002, Mr. Zhao was arrested again by officers from Gangtun Town Police Station. He was beaten from 7:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. the next day, and he was black and blue all over. On June 22, 2004, Mr. Zhao, his brother, and his mother were arrested and sentenced to three years of forced labor. Mr. Zhao and his brother were force-fed and their private parts were shocked by electric batons. They were released only when they were on the verge of death.

5. Mr. Zhang Chongyue was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to ten years in prison. He has been held in the Panjin Prison ever since.

6. Ms. Yang Hong was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to nine years in prison. She is currently held in the Liaoning Province Women's Prison. Because she refused to renounce Falun Gong and perform forced labor, she was tortured and bruised all over. She was locked in the prison warehouse for several months.

7. Ms. Yang Zhaoying, from Suizhong County, was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to seven years in prison. She became paralyzed as a result of the persecution, and she is currently held in Liaoning Province Women's Prison.

Ms. Yang graduated from the Dalian University of Foreign Languages. In 2001, she went to Tiananmen Square and shouted, "Falun Dafa is good!" She was detained shortly after, and the university revoked her bachelor's degree. Following graduation, she worked in a Japanese joint-venture company. However, the authorities arrested her because she practiced Falun Gong, and they prepared to send her to a forced labor camp. To avoid persecution, she jumped out of a police station window and was severely injured. Her lower body was paralyzed, and the doctor said she would never stand again. However, Ms. Yang insisted on practicing Falun Gong and was able to walk again without any medical treatment.

On the morning of March 21, 2006, before the wedding of Ms. Yang and Mr. Xue Xinkai, Mr. Xue was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. He is currently held in Benxi Prison.

At around 6:00 a.m. on February 25, 2008, a group of officers climbed onto the third floor of Ms. Yang's home using a fire truck ladder, broke the window, and jumped into her home. The officers arrested her entire family – father Mr. Yang Guangwu, mother Ms. Feng Kelan, and sister Ms. Yang Zhaofang. Ms. Yang was arrested in Shenyang later that day.

Ms. Yang was subsequently detained at the Huludao City Detention Center, the Suizhong County Detention Center, and the Dalian City Detention Center. She went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution at the Dalian City Detention Center. She was force-fed with a tube inserted through her nose, causing damage to her esophagus and stomach, and rendering her unable to eat. While in Dalian, she could not walk and was confined to a wheelchair. The First Division of the Dalian Police Department offered to release her and her parents on bail in exchange for a written statement slandering Falun Gong, but Ms. Yang refused. On April 28, 2008, after she was returned to Suizhong County, she continued her hunger strike and was taken to the hospital; she weighed only about 90 pounds. On May 12, 2008, Ms. Yang was tried by the Suizhong County Court while she was confined to a bed at the Suizhong County Hospital, hooked to IV's and on oxygen. She was sentenced to seven years in prison.

8. Ms. Yang Zhaoying's parents, Mr. Yang and Ms. Feng, and sister, Ms. Yang Zhaofang, were arrested on February 25, 2008. Mr. Yang and Ms. Feng were sentenced to two years in prison. Ms. Yang Zhaofang was sentenced to four years in prison.

9. Ms. Zhou Yingchun was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to five years in prison. She became paralyzed as a result of the persecution. Ms. Zhou has been held at the prison hospital affiliated with Liaoning Province Women's Prison since receiving her illegal sentence. Each time her family visited her, she was carried out on a stretcher by four people. Most recently, when her mother went to visit her, she was emaciated and did not have much strength when speaking. She said only a couple of words to her mother, and then she closed her eyes, too tired to talk.

10. Mr. Yang Jiangwei and his wife Ms. Li Xiaoming were both arrested on February 25, 2008, less than one month after their wedding. Mr. Yang was sentenced to ten years in prison, and he has been held in Panjin Prison ever since. In the prison, he was shocked by electric batons, his face became swollen, and he was burnt all over. He was also deprived of family visitation. Ms. Li was sentenced to one year of forced labor.

11. Ms. Pei Zhihua was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to eight years in prison. She is currently held in Liaoning Province Women's Prison.

12. Ms. Shen Wenling was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to five years in prison. She is also currently held in Liaoning Province Women's Prison.

13. Mr. Wang Yuanju was arrested on February 25, 2008, and sentenced to two years of forced labor. He served his term at the Huludao Forced Labor Camp.

Related reports:

Mr. Fan Dezhen Dies in Police Custody in Liaoning Province http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/4/26/96773.html

The Persecution and Torture of Huang Lizhong Prior to His Death (Photos) http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/4/20/116209.html

Sisters Yang Zhaofang and Yang Zhaoying of Suizhong County, Liaoning Province Suffering Inhumane Persecution

http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/5/22/97523.html